FCTokyo
I went to a soccer game one weekend. The team was FCTokyo, which is a major league team, but pretty weak. The stadium was in biking distance of ICU, and the tickets were not expensive, so we went. I went with several Europeans and one Japanese. The Europeans were Saku, and Risto (the Fins), Jonathan, and Ully (the Germans), and Dan (well... He has duel citizenship). They have become my core group of friends including some-others, and we do categorize one another by our nationalities. I, of course, am the Canadian. So I am starting to become what I intended not to be when coming here; A foreigner who sticks out like a sore thumb. Integration into Japanese culture is really hard, but that is another story.
The stadium was pretty expansive and could probably seat 50000 people. That day, there were just over 23000, and each teams supporters separated themselves according to whom they chose to support. During the NBA playoffs Heat fans who attended games, all wore white t-shirts to create a sea of white, which would intimidate the opponent. They called themselves the 'White Heat'. Apparently that was effective and the Heat ended up winning the championship. It is the same thing that is done at competitive NCAA events by the home and away supporters. Anyway the soccer team supporters did the same thing. The opponent's (Kawasaki) fans all wore light blue and held up bright blue sheets of paper creating a small tropical sea to the far end of the stadium, while the FCTokyo fans all wore dark blue and red creating a more menacing sea towards the other end and along the side. It was raining that day so the UN delegation had no difficulty finding seats close to the pitch. The game was pretty exciting. I am not really clear on the rules of soccer, but my European friends informed me. Japanese goalies are not very strong, so any real attack on net led to a goal. Soon into the second half FCTokyo was down 4-1, and it seemed over, but two red cards by the opposing team (one for a Brazilian, another for a European. You see? You can't be lazy! No matter how good you think you are!), led to a strong advantage for FCTokyo, who scored four goals in the second half, three of which were in the last 20 minutes, with two in injury time. The final score was 5-4. Everyone cheering for FCTokyo was put in a good mood, and were happy to exchange high fives.
It is fall break now, and I plan to do some traveling, just as soon as a I get some cash, and some place to stay.
The stadium was pretty expansive and could probably seat 50000 people. That day, there were just over 23000, and each teams supporters separated themselves according to whom they chose to support. During the NBA playoffs Heat fans who attended games, all wore white t-shirts to create a sea of white, which would intimidate the opponent. They called themselves the 'White Heat'. Apparently that was effective and the Heat ended up winning the championship. It is the same thing that is done at competitive NCAA events by the home and away supporters. Anyway the soccer team supporters did the same thing. The opponent's (Kawasaki) fans all wore light blue and held up bright blue sheets of paper creating a small tropical sea to the far end of the stadium, while the FCTokyo fans all wore dark blue and red creating a more menacing sea towards the other end and along the side. It was raining that day so the UN delegation had no difficulty finding seats close to the pitch. The game was pretty exciting. I am not really clear on the rules of soccer, but my European friends informed me. Japanese goalies are not very strong, so any real attack on net led to a goal. Soon into the second half FCTokyo was down 4-1, and it seemed over, but two red cards by the opposing team (one for a Brazilian, another for a European. You see? You can't be lazy! No matter how good you think you are!), led to a strong advantage for FCTokyo, who scored four goals in the second half, three of which were in the last 20 minutes, with two in injury time. The final score was 5-4. Everyone cheering for FCTokyo was put in a good mood, and were happy to exchange high fives.
It is fall break now, and I plan to do some traveling, just as soon as a I get some cash, and some place to stay.
posted by Oliver Gatalo at 5:31 PM
1 Comments:
What a beautifully told story. I could see the atmosphere and different groups of fans from the story better than from the pictures.
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